Full and proper confirmation of a second season of mystery horror series “Hellbound” was high on the agenda of Netflix’s consumer-oriented Tudum presentation.
Korean shows have repeatedly achieved top ratings among the streamer’s non-English roster, and last November’s release of “Hellbound” was the show that finally edged aside “Squid Game” after several weeks of breakthrough success.
(The Tudum presentation offered “Squid Game” fans some extra footage that confirmed the identity of the mysterious ‘front man’. Take a look here.)
“Hellbound” is derived from a webtoon created by series director Yeon Sang-ho, who previously directed “Train to Busan” and “Peninsula.” It featured otherworldly angels who emerged to condemn individuals to hell at a specific future time, minutes or years away.
There has been expectation of a second season since mid-June when Korean fan media began to report on casting choices.
Netflix released a video tease on Saturday morning Korean time, but did not confirm a date for when the new season will upload. Watch the tease here.
Just as predictable was a tease of “Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area.” The show is a Korean remake of Netflix’s hit Spanish-language crime thriller “Money Heist” (“La Casa de Papel”) which ran to five mini seasons. Aside from a 15-minute intro, setting up the near-future backdrop of a newly united Korea, the Korean version offered only minor revisions to the original. Nevertheless, it managed to top Netflix’s ratings in much of Asian in its first week. Watch the season 2 video clip here.
“The Fabulous,” a young adult series set in the world of fashion is also in the works. It stars Minho (real name Choi Minho) from popular K-pop boy band SHINee and actress Chae Soo-bin (“I Am Not A Robot,” “Sweet & Sour”), in a tale of four best friends chasing their career dreams. The fan presentation included a recorded interview with Minhee, who plays a freelance photo retoucher in the upcoming series. “Aside from the compelling plot which takes a hyper realistic look on love, friendship and dreams, tune into this new series for a stunning visual feast,” the company promised.
There were additional teases for creepy cyber-horror series “The Glitch” and feature-film “20th Century Girl.”
The streamer’s Korean content extends beyond drama series and feature films. It showed first footage from extreme game show “Physical 100.” The series involves 100 men and women enduring hardship and performing feats in their quest to claim a prize as the best body. The sneak peek can be viewed here.
There was also the enticing promise of a longer -101-episode run for season 2 of “Singles Inferno.” Season one lovebirds, Moon Se-hoon and Shin Ji-yeon were on hand to give Tudum viewers a tour of Inferno Island tour and to tease developments in the second iteration.